Chapter 485: Swearing an Oath to the Troops

In the black space, countless fissures formed and then rapidly annihilated; the cutting and tearing power emanating from within could not help but make one's mind tremble.

Endless gale winds roared in the ears, venting their anger at being trapped in a cage toward outsiders.

The extraterrestrial space, which could be called dangerous, was actually nothing in the face of such a sight.

Today, this perilous place, which was a matter of life and death for ordinary people, welcomed its first guest in countless years.

"This should be far enough, right?"

Looking at the harsh environment around him, Xiao Han could not help but frown.

For an Immortal Array Master to use a Spirit Array to hold back or even annihilate an entire Evil Clan army led by a Mysterious Demon Emperor, it is unrealistic under normal circumstances.

A Spirit Array Master's ability to deal with groups must also weigh the strength gap between the enemy and themselves; when facing opponents of the same level, wanting to greedily clear out the enemy's underlings naturally requires some effort.

The only forces one can borrow are the timing and the terrain; the Void Space is forever filled with space storms, unchanging for ten thousand generations, and can be called eternal, so discussing timing is meaningless.

Since that is the case, what remains is the terrain.

Looking at the surroundings of Tianlan Continent, the only place that meets the conditions for battle is this absolute wasteland tens of thousands of miles away.

With a thought from Xiao Han, Spirit Seals surged around his body, blooming with a brilliant, cold light; one by one, profound seal techniques were outlined in Xiao Han's hands, mixing with a significant number of Spirit Seals to light up the lines and patterns symbolizing the Spirit Array.

The hysterical space and the focused figure formed a sharp contrast.

……

Mingwang City.

It was still the same high platform as last time, and all the heads of the top forces, except for Liu Qingyang, gathered again.

Revisiting the old place, the moods of the two were completely different, yet there were similarities.

The last time was a gathering where life and death were unknown, and their hearts were uneasy, but this time it was for a war concerning all living beings, tragic and firm.

A slightly strange point: at the foot of the battle flag in the center of the high platform, a ragged, disheveled figure was kneeling, yet the coalition army ignored it at this time, their gazes gathered somewhere on the high platform.

"People of Tianlan Hall, where is your Hall Master Liu?"

"To be in seclusion at such an important moment, could it be that he is afraid?"

Yan Lie, Sect Master of the Blazing Flame Sect, spoke first, his tone unkind.

"Yan Lie, you shut your damn mouth."

A thunderclap suddenly erupted from the direction of the Tianlan Hall elders; Qin Hai, the strongest elder among the rest, walked out, glaring with rage.

"What? You can't even hear the truth?"

"Then call him out!"

Yan Lie raised an eyebrow; he certainly did not think Liu Qingyang would flee before the battle, he was just dissatisfied with the fact that the other party was still absent at such a critical juncture.

"Heh~"

"Even if the Hall Master is not here, I will still beat you up."

"What did you say?"

"Someone heard it themselves!"

"Then let's spar!"

Qin Hai's cold words directly ignited Yan Lie's temper; he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight immediately, and flames were already attached to his fists.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't hurt the harmony, you two."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Everyone hurriedly stepped forward to pull the two apart.

"Let go of me!"

"Sect Master Yan, do not be angry; now is not the time to have conflicts."

"Let go!"

"Old Qin, let's hold back our tempers first."

"That's right, since the Hall Master chose to go into seclusion, it means he trusts us; we cannot let down the Hall Master's trust!"

"……"

After the dry-mouthed mediation, the two temporarily put aside the thought of fighting on the spot, snorted, and looked away after exchanging a glance.

After experiencing a rather explosive opening, the atmosphere on the high platform was slightly heavy.

"Ahem..."

Finally, Yang Jiuxiao, who was more prestigious, took the initiative to stand out and said slowly,

"Since everyone is here today to protect Tianlan, let's put aside other conflicts for now, how about that?"

Everyone looked at each other in silence; finally, Huangfu Shenghua spoke first,

"What Elder Yang said is true; no matter how deep our hatred is, it is just family business in Tianlan Continent; now, the foreign enemy is more important."

"My Tianlan Hall has no objection." Qin Hai returned to his steady image and said in a muffled voice.

"Hmph, my Blazing Flame Sect agrees."

Yan Lie followed closely behind, glaring at Qin Hai without showing weakness.

"My Qingyun Palace has no objection." Qiu Hanxue's cold voice sounded.

"My Yuyi Sect has no problem either." Ling Long's lively voice added some color to the high platform.

"Hiss, my Liuying Gate also agrees." Ying Shang, the Gate Master of Liuying Gate, said sinisterly.

"My Blood Blade Sect agrees." Yue Yingye smiled wickedly.

"My Bodhi Sect has no objection."

"My Wanhai Gate..."

"………"

Successive voices of agreement sounded among the crowd; the heads of the first-class forces, who were usually arrogant, expressed their positions one after another, and the shock brought by such a scene quickly gathered back the hearts of the people that had been slightly scattered by the opening episode.

"That is good."

Nodding, Yang Jiuxiao raised a second question,

"Then shall we each be responsible for a war zone? Or will there be a joint command?"

"Naturally, a joint command."

Everyone present was a veteran with deep experience; the various sects each had their own focus, strengths, and weaknesses, and fighting separately would entail immense risks, so it would be better to fight jointly and complement one another.

"It is just that the position of commander-in-chief remains to be discussed."

Indeed, the greatest taboo in joint operations is for the commander-in-chief to issue reckless orders; if there were any personal vendettas involved, the slightest carelessness would leave the coalition, which already lacked high levels of trust, facing the risk of instant collapse.

As for the choice of commander-in-chief...

"Elder Qin Hai, I wonder about that senior..."

Yang Jiuxiao's eyes flashed as he thought of the most suitable candidate.

Xiao Han's strength could suppress all monsters and demons, and as an outsider, he had very few entanglements with the forces of the Tianlan Continent, so his impartiality could be guaranteed.

However, Qin Hai interrupted directly:

"Old Yang, that powerful senior has other important matters and cannot get away for the time being."

"The senior instructed us that all matters regarding this great war are to be decided by us on the Tianlan Continent ourselves."

"It was presumptuous of me."

Yang Jiuxiao nodded to show he understood.

"Then, does anyone here wish to recommend themselves?"

At this moment, Yan Lie spoke up bluntly,

"Old man Yang, don't you go delaying things."

"I think you're not bad; why don't you do it."

Hm?

Everyone looked at Yan Lie in astonishment; had this person changed his nature?

"What kind of looks are those?"

Feeling the strange gazes landing on him, Yan Lie could not help but be annoyed,

"Just because my relationship with old man Yang isn't good doesn't mean I don't recognize this old man's character and ability."

"Can you find anyone more suitable than old man Yang?"

"I will only say one thing."

Yan Lie squinted at the crowd,

"The other guys, including myself, would you... dare to trust them?"

That was true; the others nodded subconsciously.

In terms of seniority, strength, and reputation, Yang Jiuxiao was the greatest among all those present; having managed the Taiyue Sect, a top-tier major sect, for thousands of years without showing signs of decline, his ability was naturally not an issue, and everyone was willing to believe the latter could hold the scales of justice level.

Most importantly, other than Yang Jiuxiao, they dared not entrust their lives and fortunes to anyone else.

"Sect Master Yan speaks the truth."

The Sect Master of the Bodhi Sect smiled with a kind expression,

"This old monk also supports Old Sect Master Yang to serve as commander-in-chief."

"The Bright God Palace has no objections," Huangfu Shenghua echoed.

"..."

"You all..."

"This old man does not want to..."

Yang Jiuxiao stared dumbfounded as everyone ignored him and settled his position in just a few words, leaving him no chance to decline.

"Old Yang, please don't decline; speed is the essence of war!"

"Time will not allow for delay."

Huangfu Shenghua and the others smiled as they crowded him into the center,

"Now, let our commander-in-chief say a few words."

"That's right!"

Stunned as he was pushed toward the coalition army, Yang Jiuxiao felt helpless, yet at the same time, he could not help but feel gratified; it seemed his old bones were not yet past their prime!

"Hah!"

"Since it has come to this, this old man naturally cannot let the juniors down."

The moment he truly faced the Tianlan coalition below, Yang Jiuxiao's hunched body straightened, and his cloudy eyes shot out a sharp glint; the crowd below, swept by this gaze, all subconsciously looked away.

A voice, aged yet firm, clearly reached the ears of the army below,

"Since you all trust me, this old man will not shirk his duty and will humbly serve as the coalition commander-in-chief."

"You likely do not wish to hear any superfluous nonsense."

"This old man will only say one thing."

"Tianlan will surely win!"

As his voice fell, Yang Jiuxiao flicked his sleeve, and a burst of energy shot out, instantly shattering Lan Canghai into a mist of blood.

"Tianlan will surely win!"

This bloody and domineering move by Yang Jiuxiao ignited the emotions of the entire crowd, and a uniform roar resounded through the heavens.

"March!"

(End of this chapter)